When the Levees Break
by christmasinacup
Summary: Thoughts of the main characters, including Annie, Joan, Arthur, and Auggie during or at the end of episode 1x11, When The Levee Breaks.
1. Joan: Fighting Hard

Ok, so this is a multi-chapter story with everyone's thoughts during 1x11. I will do Joan, Annie, Auggie, Arthur and maybe Jai and Ben. I'm not sure about Jai and Ben so please comment if you think I should do them! Please review with feedback :)

disclaimer: not my characters, sadly...

* * *

I got out of bed, trying not to wake Arthur. He needed sleep, even if it was only a few minutes more. Today we had a small reception planned to award to a medal to a retiring officer. I couldn't remember the details, except for that it was scheduled for 10 am. Hopefully that gave Arthur some more time to rest. He needed it, the poor man. Henry's presence yesterday had made keeping Annie and the woman from the embassy, Vivian, safe a lot more stressful than necessary. I was so proud of him when he told Henry to leave, I could have kissed him. But we were at work, in a room full of people. When we got home it was a different story. I came home early, like I told Arthur, and we had a fantastic night. I smiled, looking through the dresses in my closet. I picked out a black one with three quarter – length sleeves and was searching for the right shoes when I felt Arthur's strong arms wrap around my waist.

"Good morning," he said, kissing me softly. I kissed him back. Mhm, it felt good just to be held by him, to be in his arms.

"Good morning to you too. How did you sleep?"

He went to his side of the closet and pulled out a suit. "Well enough. You?"

"Pretty well," I said, slipping my nightgown over my head and putting on a bra. I slipped the dress over my messy bedhead hair. "Can you zip me up?"

"Sure," he said, walking over and zipping my dress, then kissed my neck. I smiled at him and went into the bathroom to do my hair. "Arthur, I think we should leave by 9. Is that good?"

"Sounds good to me," Arthur said, getting dressed. "Maybe things will be a bit more normal at work today."

I walked back into our room and smiled at him, slipping my shoes on. "Yes, a quiet day would be nice. But it's the CIA. Something's bound to happen."

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I still didn't understand it. Ben Mercer was here, getting hooked up to a polygraph. I knew that most of us at the CIA, myself included, thought he was out of the country after that whole fiasco with the art buyers. What was he doing here? I sighed, then walked into the room where the reception was being held. Annie was not going to like this.

I studied Annie's face carefully. She looked heartbroken, betrayed, confused.

"Annie, you don't have to watch this. We can fact-check later."

"No, I want to stay," Annie said, putting on a strong face. I admired her self-control. She must be feeling torn apart on the inside, but her face remained calm and she shoed no emotion.

10 minutes later, Arthur and I were discussing sending Annie with Ben, and idea Jai did not like. Arthur didn't want Jai to go, seeing as how he lost Ben once before. I agreed, but I kept it inside. Annie wasn't ready for this, as much as she could try to convince us she was. I was worried for her.

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I opened the door to my office to find Alex standing in the middle of it, with a look on his face that I didn't know what to make of. What he told me hit me, hard. Arthur was under scrutiny? We had done everything we could to prevent this information from getting out!

"You want me to take my husband's job?"

"You're well qualified. Your work in Brussels, Nairobi, and here has been taken into account. You'd be the highest ranking woman at the CIA."

After Alex left, I broke down on the inside. I couldn't be the DCS. I thought about Brussels and Nairobi. Before I met Arthur, when work was the most important thing. Well, now I had something more important. My marriage. And I couldn't let the CIA ruin it anymore.

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I took a deep breath, smoothed my pink dress, and opened Arthur's door. I was nervous, and I hope he couldn't tell.

"Arthur, I have something to tell you. They want to replace you as DCS."

Arthur took off his glasses. "I know, I told you that."

I took a breath. "They want me to replace you. They said not to tell you, agency protocol. But I can't let this place come between us any longer."

Arthur looked at me and said," You have to take it."

I was taken completely aback. Was he crazy? "What? No."

Now Arthur looked surprised. "After all these years of marriage, you still surprise me."

"Arthur, this place is better with both of us. Let's fight together. It will be ugly and messy, but in the end we will be here where we belong. You up for it?"

He smiled. "You know I am."

I smiled back, knowing everything would be ok. I had Arthur, and together we could do this. Our marriage was building back up it's strength, and we were through with letting the Agency come between us. Together, we could take on Henry Wilcox and the rest of the CIA. They couldn't get rid of us that easy.


	2. Auggie: Call me protective

Here is Auggie's chapter. Some stuff is left out, I just wanted to focus on a few key moments. I also didn't re-watch the episode for reference, so a few things might be different. Review please! Next up: Jai or Arthur?

* * *

I grinned as Annie and I sipped our drinks out of plastic cups. You think the CIA could spring for better at their medal awarding ceremonies. Nope. Oh well, just being with Annie and not being behind a desk was a nice change. She always made me smile, and it was so nice to have such a good friend the Agency. I was laughing with her when I heard heels approaching. I caught a whiff of perfume, light and floral.

"Annie, can you come with me please?," I heard Joan say. Annie lightly touched my arm, then walked away. That confused me. What was going on? Damn, this was one of those moments when I wish I could see, so I could read Joan's face. I sipped my water with lemon, wishing the CIA allowed alcohol at these things. I hoped Annie was ok.

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I heard Joan's office door open, and clicking of kitten-heeled Louboutins.

"Annie? What happened?"

I hear her sigh. She took my arm and lead me down the hall to my office.

"They want me to go to Sri Lanka with Ben. Be his handler on a mission."

"What? Annie, no. I can't let you do that. I'm talking to Joan"

"Auggie, this isn't up to you. I can handle it." I could hear the irritation in her voice.

"No, you can't, it's too dangerous. You're my friend, just call me protective."

"Auggie, I want to go," she said, a little softer this time.

"Ok, come here," I said, feeling my way around the desk. I found the two thin cards I was looking for and held them up until I could sense my hand was near my face. I felt for the sticker on the first one.

"Here," I said, handing it to her. "A GPS tracker. I can know where you are at all times. And if something goes wrong, abandon protocol and call this number," I said, handing her the other card.

"710-555-0100? Whose number is this?," she asked, confused.

"Mine, I made it especially for this mission, " I said. Then I joked,"But if you use it, you owe me a sandwich."

She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. Her lips were smooth, and I could smell her grapefruit shampoo.

"Everything's gonna be ok," she whispered.

"I know."

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Now that Liza was gone I could gather my thoughts. I had been working her as an op, and she had hoped I could provide information from her, but she had stayed with me even after I told her I wasn't going to give her anything. I had really cared for her, and I think the feeling was mutual. So what happened? I led to her to a false source to help Arthur Campbell, and we had kind of dissolved. Biut I was finding myself strangely ok with that. Maybe we had been a really good fling. I stood up, felling my around the table to help me leave.

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"Annie?," I said into the phone, my hands sliding over my Braille keyboard. "Where are you?"

"On the beach, in Sri Lanka," she said, her voice tense and frustrated.

"Ben disappeared, _again_," Jai said, sounding as angry if not angrier than Annie. I could tell by the forceful way he spit out his words that he was enraged that he had failed to keep track on Ben yet again.

"Annie, your GPS tracker says you're about 10 miles from the beach," I said. I moved my fingers over a few more keys. "And at least 100 feet in the air."

"That's not right, "Annie said. I could hear her fumbling with something. "Oh, the bracelets. Ben and I must have switched when …." She stopped abruptly.

"When what, Annie?"

"Never mind. Jai thinks he knows where he is. We're going in."

"Be safe," I said, worried and confused. Whatever Ben was doing that he hadn't clued Annie and Jai in on had to be pretty dangerous. Annie wasn't ready. I was about to hang up when I read Jai was still on his Bluetooth, so I said," Jai. You there?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Protect her."

"I will, Auggie," he said, and I could hear the care for Annie in his voice. She was our friend, and I trusted Jai to keep her from getting hurt. Physically, anyway. Depending on what Ben was doing, neither of us could save her from being hurt emotionally.


	3. Arthur: Ops all over the map

Here is Arthur's chapter. Who should I do next? Annie? Jai? Feedback is always appreciated :) Sorry if this seems a bit short but when I write it out it feels longer than it appears here.

* * *

Auggie entered my office, flashing his green light to find his way.

"The chair is right in front of you," I said watching carefully as he sat down.

"If you don't mind me asking, why am I here? I'm not running any unapproved ops," Auggie said. I could tell he was irritated, and I suppose he had every reason to be. His friends were overseas on a very dangerous op, and he was stuck here behind a desk. But that wasn't what this meeting was about.

"Your friend Liza planned to publish an article that could ruin our agency," I said, trying very hard to get across the displeasure in my voice.

"Well, with all due respect, isn't that her job?," Auggie asked.

"We can't get to her notes, she has them locked away. We can't call her out for treason because she hasn't, and probably won't, reveal her source. So we need you to contact her," I said, folding my arms and turning to face him. I knew he couldn't see me but I wanted to convey my position of authority as well as I possibly could. This article could not get out. It was crucial that we stop it. "Persuade her not to publish the article."

"She wasn't talked to me since we planted that false flag," Auggie said wearily.

"Women can be very forgiving, never forget that," I said. _Well, when they want to be,_ I thought, immediately thinking of Joan.

"You're married to my boss so I can't go anywhere near that statement," Auggie said, turning his head when he sensed me move. That statement made me realize that Auggie had some insight into my relationship with Joan that most people here did not. I wasn't going to ruminate on that now, however.

I leaned against the edge of the table. "This article will affect our missions underground, it will put our operatives in jeopardy." I knew he and Walker were good friend and hoped that sentence would hit a sensitive spot.

"I'll see what I can do," Auggie sighed.

I was trying to keep the Liza Hern story of my mind, going over a file for a small op. Speaking of ops, what was going on with Walker? I was picking up my phone to call down to Joan's office when my door opened. I looked up to see Joan walking through my doorway. I smiled. Her pale blonde hair fell in soft waves around her beautiful face, and I wanted to walk over and kiss her, but it was work, so I held back and waited to see what was going on. To my surprise, she looked anxious. She was even fiddling with her hands a little bit, smoothing the front of her pink dress.

"I have something to tell you."

I leaned forward my chair and took off my glasses, waiting for her to continue. What was going on? Was she-

"The General Council are looking to replace you as the DCS."

I breathed a sigh of relief. That was it?

"I know, I told you that," I said gently, loving Joan's compassion for me and my job.

"Alex asked me if I would consider taking the job. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but they asked me not to, you know, agency protocol. But I've realized our marriage comes first. I have let this place come between for too long," Joan said strongly. I kept a straight face, but inside I was smiling. How could she not take this job? Our marriage was doing significantly better than before, and she would be an amazing DCS. Not to mention the highest ranking woman in the CIA, which she deserved.

"You have to take it, " I said. "The DCS position."

"What? No," Joan said, a look of surprise on her face. She seemed taken aback at the very thought, I had to wonder how she had reacted when Alex had approached her. Probably collected and poised, as always.

"After all these years of being married, you still find way to surprise me," I said, leaning back in my chair.

"Arthur, this place is better off with both of us here," Joan said, a smile creeping onto her face. " Let's fight this witch-hunt together. It's going to be ugly and messy, but we'll fight back, hard. And in the end, we will both still be working here, where we belong. Are you up for it?"

I smiled and said, "You know I am."

Joan gave a triumphant smile, then got up and walked around my desk. I got up as she approached, and when she kissed me I kissed back deeply. Joan and I both had strong, powerful personalities and nothing turned us on more than a good fight. When it wasn't between us, of course.


	4. Jai: Not my father's son

I realize this is short, sorry! I find Jai very difficult to write. Thoughts & opinions are welcome :)

* * *

I was frustrated. Arthur and Joan didn't trust me to handle Ben in Sri Lanka again, and while their reason was valid, things had changed. I wasn't going to let Ben slip through my fingers again. We couldn't afford to let him go rogue again. I trusted Annie, but I wasn't sure she was ready for this. She was a smart and capable agent, but her heart was yet another thing at stake when if she accompanied Ben to Sri Lanka. It was useless to plead my case to Joan, she liked Annie and would dismiss my opinion as jealousy. Arthur agreed with Joan on pretty much everything these days, it seemed he didn't want to tread on thin ice. They were forgetting how well I knew Ben. He would go off book, and I would be on standby for a call from Sri Lanka.

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Something about my father annoyed the hell out of me. He had known Ben? What else did he know? After his comment about Arthur, I had been wondering if he knew anything of the leak. I had never understood my father, or his disappointment in me, but now I saw it. It was because I respected Arthur Campbell. My father had been a tyrant while at the Agency, and I never wanted him back. I had meant what I told Annie about him last month. I was not his biggest fan.

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We hadn't heard from Annie and Ben in hours. They had blown through several checkpoints, and Joan was apprehensive. She held a meeting in the conference room. When she said they needed a few agents to get a overnight lift there to make sure everything was going to plan, I stared right at her. She sighed and said," Ok, Jai. You can go."

I tried not to grin triumphantly back, but it was hard. I went straight home and got ready, then headed back to the Agency. Joan gave me and a few other guys a file, saying to go to "the usual places." She turned to look back at me as she left, saying," Jai's running point on this. He knows the area well."

One or two the guys high-fived me, and we readied a plan before we took off. And then I remembered something I had seen after Joan and Arthur met with Annie a few days ago to give her the mission details.

"Hey, Auggie."

Auggie lifted his head up and turned it in my direction. "Jai?"

I walked to his desk and put my hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, it's me. I need your help with something."

He swiveled his chair so he was facing me, and chuckled. "This ought to be good. How can I be of service?"

"I know you gave Annie a tracker, and I need to know where she is. She and Ben have missed several check-ins and Joan and Arthur are getting worried. I'm on my way out with a few other guys to try and find them now. "

Auggie sighed, and turned back to my computer. Running his hands along the Braille keyboard, he opened and closed a few folders, and I watched the digital display in awe. Auggie was not messing around. Finally, a grid came up and zeroed in on a blinking red dot. I grabbed a pen and jotted down the coordinates quickly.

"Thanks, Auggie."

"Any time, Jai."

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Ben, Annie and I ran towards the helicopter. Ben yelled out something but I couldn't hear over the roaring blades. We jumped in and Annie told the pilot to take off as she started to close the door. Suddenly, a shot rang out. And then two more. I looked to Annie and saw a look of horror on her face. I gave her a quick once-over, she didn't seem to be bleeding. I looked down and saw Ben slumped over in her lap, his eyelids low and unresponsive. Annie was trying to feel for a pulse, panicking. I rubbed my eyes and looked at a frantic Annie, then leaned forward and told the pilot to pick up the speed. Then, I looked out the window, but didn't see the shooter anywhere. Damn.


	5. Annie: Uncertainty

It took me so long to finish this, I'm sorry! I had no idea how to end, so it's a little short. Enjoy and review! :)

* * *

Time stopped and the gunshot still rang in my ears. I was frozen. I could barely move as Jai helped me into the helicopter and it took off, door still open. He lay there, in shock and infinite pain as we flew over the beach.

"Ben!"

I jostled his body a little bit in an effort to get him in a more comfortable position.

"Ben, can you hear me?"

I gulped and caught my breath. Ben's eyes rolled back into his head and he closed his eyelids. Jai looked grave. He mouthed, "_I'm sorry_," but I didn't blame him for what happened. I shouldn't have let Ben out of my sight. I was his handler, and I screwed up. And now Ben could be dead. He still had a pulse, but it was slow. His breathing was shallow and weak. I brushed the hair away from his face and kissed his temple.

"It's gonna be ok."

When we arrived back at Langley, Ben had been shepherded into a top-secret wing of the closest hospital where agents who were seriously injured in the field were kept. Jai said they were operating as soon as Ben was admitted, but I didn't want to think about it. I had seen what had happened when we exited the helicopter. They had shocked Ben's chest, twice, then wheeled him into the hospital. He could have been dead before we landed, for all I knew. I had begged Jai not to tell me anything after he took over holding Ben an hour into our helicopter ride. I couldn't bear to have his dying body next to mine anymore. It hurt too much.

"Annie?"

I looked up from my desk and saw Joan. Her eyes were sympathetic and caring, something I had rarely seen in her. I swallowed and held back the tears. She sat on the edge of my desk and reached out to touch my arm.

"Do you want to talk?"

A few tears fell. "I…. I don't know," I choked out, avoiding direct eye contact. Joan nodded and took her hand off my arm.

"I'll be in my office if you want someone to talk to, or even someone to just listen. I know it's hard."

"Thanks," I whispered. Joan stood up and walked to her office. I saw Arthur at her door, and when she reached it she took his hand and he kissed her cheek. All of the sudden I couldn't hold back. I let more tears stream down my face and rested my head on my desk. I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. The DPD was practically empty, so it had to be…

"It's Auggie."

I jumped out of my chair and wrapped my arms around him, sobbing. He felt for my hair and stroked it.

"Oh, Auggie…"

It had been 4 hours since we had landed, and still no word on Ben. Joan, Jai, and I sat in her office in silence, waiting. It was almost more terrifying than the possibility that Ben was dead. The waiting, the uncertainty.

Joan's phone rang, startling all of us. She got up and walked to her desk to answer it.

"Joan Campbell… Ok….Thank you….I'll tell her….Good bye."

Tears slid down my face. Joan turned to me, her face completely unreadable. There was no sympathy, but there was also no joy. No relived smile. Jai put his hand on my shoulder. We waited as Joan walked over to the couch and sat next to me. She looked into my eyes.

"Annie….."

I broke down into sobs. "Just tell me, Joan. He's dead, isn't he?"

"He's in a coma."


End file.
